


Not a Mechanic

by twitch



Category: Jersey Boys - Gaudio/Crewe/Brickman/Elice
Genre: Blink And You Miss It Slash, Gen, Gen or Pre-Slash, Mostly Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-29
Updated: 2015-08-29
Packaged: 2018-04-17 22:20:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4683476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twitch/pseuds/twitch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens when your convertible breaks down in the middle of nowhere.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not a Mechanic

There was no question the lure of the open road. It led to possibilities, to places and futures unknown. It was the hope of success and fortune but even those who wanted neither could succumb to the want for something new or to start fresh. Perhaps it was the chance to forget about the present for a while. To let go of the past. Westward or southward something different would be in store. Something, some place beyond the horizon. 

To the two cars travelling the highway they knew their van had gone beyond the horizon, travelling fast towards the city. They were driving at a more leisurely pace, not pressured to set up the instruments now that they had the help to do it. They enjoyed the scenery of little townships and farms and cows and horses dotted across stretches of fields and grass, making their way west through Indiana. 

“God-dammit!”

And there were no mechanics in sight either.

“Let me take a look,” Bob offered, stepping closer to the hood.

“I’ve got this.”

“We’re talking about fixing an engine, not hot-wiring a car,” Frankie reminded.

“I can fix this.”

“You can barely tune your guitar.”

“I can do this!

Frankie and Bob shared a look and silent sighs while Nick wasn’t silent about his sigh.

“You want to give it a try hotshot?”

Leaving his vantage spot leaning against the trunk, not so vantage as they appeared to be – no, they were the only ones travelling along the road in the last half hour, Nick kicked up the dust from the shoulder of the road, joining the others at the front. “Even if I knew what the problem is we don’t have the equipment to fix it.”

“See?” Tommy grinned, straightening up and wagging his finger at Nick. “At least I know there’s a problem with the engine.”

“Or there’s a problem with the radiator.” 

“Or something’s leaking.”

Bob glanced over the three of them, two bearing easy expressions while the third fought off a glower. “The good news is one of you is right,” he reminded.

“The bad news is we still need to get the car to a garage to get it fixed.” Frankie grimaced not for the first time, staring at the car that was no longer smoking. If they turned it on one more time, as they already did, the smoking would start up again. 

With a roll of his eyes Tommy turned his gaze towards Frankie. “Is that before or after we do our radio interview?” 

“After.” 

It was three who answered, to which Bob reminded them all that they already knew. “If we don’t leave now we run the risk of being late for the interview and that is the last thing we need to worry about. Cars can wait.”

“I am not leaving my car alone on the side of the highway,” Tommy stated, to which they all began arguing but Tommy managed to silent them. “I don’t care that it’s the middle of nowhere! It was luck that my car broke down, it can be luck that it gets damaged – further – or stolen. I’m not standing for that. Someone stays behind.”

Accusing looks turned askance and arguments went silent.

“Frankie has to go to Chicago, he’s the voice, the one everyone wants to talk to,” Bob pointed out, to which everyone nodded. 

Down to three.

No one was volunteering to stay behind and it was with further grave reluctance that Nick mustered up his voice. "And the man behind the music should be… in Chicago too.” 

“Thank you Nick.” Speaking as one, Bob’s and Tommy’s voice only slightly out of step, they turned to stare each other down, though it took a defiant lift of Tommy’s chin to manage that. 

It didn’t take long for Tommy to raise his voice. “What? Are you suggesting I’m staying behind with Nick?”

“Maybe Nick doesn’t have to stay behind,” Frankie started.

“It is your car after all,” Bob reminded.

“First off – Fuck you.” Long accustomed to Tommy’s flinging out the curse, having lost its barb over ten years ago, Frankie didn’t budge. Undeterred, perhaps expecting as much, Tommy turned to jab his finger in Bob’s direction. “And fuck you. And fuck you secondly for suggesting that I’m not responsible for the music. I started the band, I hired you!”

Exasperation and the heat of the sun forced Frankie to rub the back of his neck. “I don’t need you fighting during the interview so you can just stay here with Nick.” 

“No, wait,” Nick interjected, lifting his hand up though his arms didn’t budge too far from their crossed position. “I didn’t agree to stay with the car but more importantly – why am I getting stuck with him?”

“He’ll cause trouble if he’s in the same room with Bob for the interview.”

“And he’ll cause trouble if he’s left alone.”

“I’m standing right here, I can hear you!”

The look Nick gave them was unimpressed. “So it’s decided, we’re staying behind, knowing that there’s a good chance that I’ll kill him?”

“You wouldn’t do that, you’ve spent half your life with him already, you haven’t killed him yet,” Frankie reassured him, patting Nick on the shoulder.

“That was with breaks, and nights free from him. Not only have I been rooming with him every night but I’ve got to listen three hours today about his trials and sex woes with Louise, Cheryl and Marie.” 

“You haven’t been a dream either cupcake,” Tommy snorted.

Bob refrained from frowning but confusion was evident. “You’ve got three girlfriends now?”

“Does it matter? No, the only thing that matters is that I’m not staying with Nick.” Nick and Tommy managed an agreement on that point, Nick nodding in time with Tommy’s final statement and foot planting fully, firmly on the ground.

Frankie and Bob looked at each other, hoping to find a logical solution.

Logic not found between the two they returned their gaze to Tommy and Nick. One a ticking time bomb… well, both would explode, only one sooner than the other.

Knowing that Bob wouldn’t want to say the words, proving the point by walking towards his car, Frankie gestured back though he started to turn. “Come on Tommy, we’re going to be late.”

“What?” The lone response Nick got for his outburst was Tommy smirking back at him as he near ran after Frankie. Bob and Frankie didn’t look back, and what that said to him he would’ve liked to have left un-thought. “Fine. Have fun being his handler. I’d much rather be waiting out here with the cows.” When the car started up he realised there was no chance of renegotiating. “You owe me!”

Off into the horizon they drove.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Over three hours later…. No cows to be found yet in this particular stretch of grassland…

Without the cool wind prickling against their skin the day was hotter than they had initially realised. Sitting in the tow-truck with the windows all the way down didn’t generate the same kind of turbulence as the convertibles did. The extra pieces of metal did provide some relief to the pervading heat, a barrier between them and the sun.

Nick had been sitting at the side of the road on a hot summer’s day, sun beating down on him and the asphalt with nary a breeze.

Three hours was a long time to wait so when he finally found the convertible he jumped out of the truck as soon as it stopped, not waiting for the ignition to turn off. Perhaps the truck had been the only other vehicle on this stretch of the road after their two convertibles had passed through, only for one to continue on. He was about to dash straight across to the car but not seeing Nick he hesitated before pitching his voice. “Nick?”

More worrying was not getting a response. He couldn’t imagine Nick had left, for as much as he didn’t want to be left behind, he wouldn’t let the chance of any more damage falling upon Tommy’s car.

It wasn’t until he stood beside the car that he found Nick stretched across the backseat, sleeping and looking uncommonly pale between bits of sunburnt skin. Reaching in he jostled Nick by the shoulder. “Come on, it’s time for you to wake up.”

Exhaling loudly, surprised by the overdue arrival and awakening, he cringed under the sun that still shone down on his face. Nick pushed himself up with one hand, the other arm using for shielding his eyes. “It’s about time,” his mumbled, barely audible for the grating dry noise his voice was.

“You okay?”

It took a while for him to sit up. “I’ve had worse.” 

“You sound worse,” he corrected, though looking over Nick he wasn’t in good shape voice or body wise. He was still pale and his arm was trembling from the effort of sitting up. “You should’ve put up the roof.”

“I tried putting it up, but it was jammed.” 

“Sorry for keeping you waiting, the interview went over and it took us a while to find a mechanic willing to drive out of state,” he explained, opening the door for Nick. Nick nodded slightly, the little movement causing him to wince. Getting his feet onto the ground was easy but standing up had him nearly pitching forward. It was proximity that kept him from hitting the ground, helped by his hands shooting out to grab hold of him. “Take it easy, lean back against the car.”

“I’d much rather find somewhere cooler,” Nick argued but his attempt to move away from the car was hardly successful, relenting or merely tripping back from what he intended to be a gentle push to help support him with the car door.

“As soon as you can stand up straight for more than ten seconds.” Ideally he would’ve waited until Nick’s pulse wasn’t racing but it wasn’t as strong as he would’ve liked it to be. “Are you okay to move now?”

“Yeah… I think so.” There was confidence and then there was reluctance, acknowledging that there was a chance that he could be wrong. 

He might’ve not needed to help support Nick but he felt better, and perhaps less guilty, knowing that Nick did lean against him, feet just a bit clumsy on the side of the road. Had he thought of it at all he would’ve made sure to bring him a cold drink for the ride into Chicago. 

“There’s not room for lying down in the truck but you can sit by the window. That should help.” The tow truck driver had hooked the convertible and was already loading it onto the back. It didn’t give him a lot of time but he still waited, steady hand on Nick’s back as he got in before scrambling inside himself from the driver’s side.

“Will I have time to clean up before our show?” Nick asked, settling back into the seat, sighing for the relative shade.

“Yeah, and I’ll keep the others distracted so you can rest up too.”

“Great.”

And once Nick had fallen asleep on his shoulder he didn’t make a move or word to complain.


End file.
